The invention pertains to the dispensing of moist tissues of the type commonly used to clean various parts of the body such as the hands and face. Tissues of this type are typically high wet strength paper or non-woven fabrics impregnated with a liquid having solvent properties.
Moist tissues are currently available to consumers in various forms of packaging; the most common of which are the individually folded tissues contained in a sealed metal foil enclosure. Moist tissues are also available in the form of a stack of interconnected or separate sheets and rolls containing a continuous strip of moistened sheets separated by lines of weakness. The rolled product is either dispensed from the center of the roll through a restricted orifice or from the outside of the roll through an elongated slot.
The dispensing of moist tissues from a stack of sheets is taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,499,575; 3,780,908 and 3,819,043 among others.
The dispensing of moist tissues from a roll is taught in the following U.S. Patents, among others: Harrison U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,296; Cordis U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,522; Walker U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,801 and Hoffmann U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,161. The Cordis, Walker and Hoffmann Patents teach the dispensing of moist tissue from the outside of a continuous roll that is supported in a rigid cylindrical container. A resevoir of the impregnating liquid is located in the bottom of the container to prevent the tissues from drying out and the tissues are withdrawn for use through an elongated slot disposed in the wall of the container. The Harrison Patent is concerned with dispensing moist tissues from the inside of a coreless roll through a narrow slit disposed in the top of a generally cylindrical container.